Keen and Graev's Video Game Bloghttps://www.keenandgraev.com
Two Brothers, One Gaming Blog. Keen and Graev bring you their latest PC/Console views, MMO Adventures, and more from a unique and refreshing perspective.Wed, 21 Feb 2018 18:19:12 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Keen and Graev's QuickCast is a video game commentary podcast designed for gamers by gamers. Keen and Graev are industry veterans with a successful video game blog spanning more than a decade. Rather than a long and hard to listen to podcast, QuickCast is designed to be a shorter and more compact podcast with shorter topic segments. If you're looking for real debates, commentary, and in depth discussion on video games then this is the podcast for you.Keen and GraevcleanKeen and Graevdougrlundberg@gmail.comdougrlundberg@gmail.com (Keen and Graev)Two brothers, one podcast. Keen and Graev's QuickCast brings you video game commentary from a unique perspective.Keen and Graev's Video Game Bloghttps://www.keenandgraev.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/quickcast.jpghttps://www.keenandgraev.com
Diablo 3 on Switch and Warcraft 3 Remastered?https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/21/diablo-3-switch-warcraft-3-remastered
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/21/diablo-3-switch-warcraft-3-remastered#commentsWed, 21 Feb 2018 18:19:12 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18607The Blizzard rumor mill is running rampant over the past few days. While these rumors are pure speculation and in many ways hopeful wishing, I’m still liking everything I hear. Diablo 3 on Switch First we have a rumor that Diablo 3 will come to the Nintendo Switch. There’s also a rumor of a local […]

]]>The Blizzard rumor mill is running rampant over the past few days. While these rumors are pure speculation and in many ways hopeful wishing, I’m still liking everything I hear.

Diablo 3 on Switch

First we have a rumor that Diablo 3 will come to the Nintendo Switch. There’s also a rumor of a local co-op mode, which has me intrigued though admittedly I would be very disappointed if there wasn’t online play.

The Switch does need hack and slash action RPGs. Though I’m not sure whether or not I could find a place for D3 on the Switch, since I’ve played it just about as much as I’d like to on the PC, it makes for a good addition to the console and a reason to back up Nintendo’s statement about expecting a longer shelf life on the Switch.

Warcraft 3 Rumors

Warcraft 3 Remastered is also another rumor. Personally, I’d like to think they all have it wrong and this is all leading up to a Warcraft 4 announcement.

Many news sites are jumping at a story about a combined patcher for both RoC and Frozen Throne, but most people are quick to point out that this change happened last year. Thankfully there’s a little more to go on. Blizzard has invited a bunch of WC3 international players to some secret meeting.

Either way, whether we do get a WC3 Remastered (which I think is only a matter of time), or we get Warcraft 4 (which would seriously make my decade), it’s good news and something I’ll buy and happily get hyped about.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/21/diablo-3-switch-warcraft-3-remastered/feed5I Guess I’m Playing EverQuesthttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/20/guess-im-playing-everquest
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/20/guess-im-playing-everquest#commentsWed, 21 Feb 2018 01:52:04 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18603Two days ago I sounded really hesitant and said I was 50/50 on whether or not I would play again. I told the K&G Community I’d play again if others played with me, and before I knew it there was a team of people assembling once again. So unless something changes and everyone backs out, […]

So unless something changes and everyone backs out, I’m playing a Dwarf Cleric. The rest of my team consists of a Monk, Enchanter, and Paladin. If you’re wanting to join us in 3 weeks, be sure to make yourself known in our Discord.

We’re pretty much casuals. Some of us are uber casuals with young kids and only play at night while others are casual but will play throughout the day. We’re not hardcore. We won’t be power-leveling like the pros — meaning we won’t be level 50 in less than a week. We won’t be raiding. Right from the start our plan is clear that unless we stumble bassackward into a raid, we won’t be aspiring to do any. I don’t even know if we’re forming a guild. We’re grouping and showing up to the fun.

Why?

I don’t feel like I have to justify why I keep going back. It’s fun, therefore I play. But when I told Graev I was going to play again he gave me the sourest look of disgust and said, “Isn’t it time to move on? After 20 years don’t you think it’s time to play something else?” I think I do a pretty good job of playing just about everything that comes out. I skip a few games here and there, but I try almost all of them.

I like EQ. I like leveling. I like grouping. Even in a group that doesn’t chat — which weirdly happens in modern EQ — I find myself liking the ‘hunker down and slay mobs’ gameplay. I don’t like running around and looking for things. I like sitting and hunting. EQ provides that experience.

Again, always looking for friends to play with in Norrath. We’ve met many great friends over the years during these forays.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/20/guess-im-playing-everquest/feed7Making Circuits & Factories in ECO Gamehttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/19/making-circuits-factories-eco-game
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/19/making-circuits-factories-eco-game#respondMon, 19 Feb 2018 17:25:09 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18600Crazy times on the ECO server! We’re making significant progress ramping up the technology side of our city. We now have two factories, two blast furnaces, an oil refinery, two machine shops, an electronics table, and we’re ramping up to add a computer lab. In the next 2-3 days we’ll be adding electricity to the […]

]]>Crazy times on the ECO server! We’re making significant progress ramping up the technology side of our city. We now have two factories, two blast furnaces, an oil refinery, two machine shops, an electronics table, and we’re ramping up to add a computer lab.

In the next 2-3 days we’ll be adding electricity to the entire city — a much needed luxury since we’re currently making circuits by candlelight.

I feel like I’ve been saying “electricity is coming” for a week now. That’s mostly due to the complexity and inter-dependencies of the profession system.

Each profession can specialize. So an Engineer can be a basic engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, Industrial engineer, etc. A Mason can work with cement, brick, etc. One of the key components in most end-game items is a circuit. A circuit requires iron ingots which comes from Smithing (Prof) -> Smelting (Spec). Then that iron is made into various things using Engineering (Prof) -> Mechanical (Spec). Just getting to that point of refining ingots and making them into things like servos took a week. Circuits also requires substrates (which requires fiberglass I think, which comes from masonry) and gold flakes, and copper wires.

I’m trying to paint a picture that shows how 3 professions and multiple specialties have to come together just to make one component of a multi-component item.

What we’re going to do in the next few days — around day 15 or the halfway point — is do a video tour of our city. That way we can showoff my warehouse and our homes. Should be lots of fun!

P.S. I sorta gave up on that whole “save the environment” motif. Now I’m all about the industry and blowing up that meteor before it crashes into our world! Who needs grass and trees anyway? Mine all the things!

Experience is slower than Ragefire/ Lockjaw / Agnarr and closer to Phinigel post-exp boost. Translation: Decently slow but not painful

Raids are instanced

One character per physical computer

Now to answer the question many of you have already asked...

I don't know.

I'm debating.

I'd say I'm evenly split 50/50 on whether or not I will play on Coirnav. If I do, I'm playing a Cleric. But I don't know if I have it in me to grind in Unrest and Guk again through the pre-Kunark era. Perhaps not this soon.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/18/everquests-newest-progression-server-coirnav/feed8Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR Reviewhttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/17/star-wars-secrets-empire-vr-review
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/17/star-wars-secrets-empire-vr-review#respondSun, 18 Feb 2018 04:05:38 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18578Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a new VR experience located in Downtown Disney. We were able to grab tickets on pre-sale last year before they sold out, and this morning, after months of waiting, was our turn to don the suits, helmets, and blasters and recover the Imperial intelligence.Here's a quick story synopsis […]

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a new VR experience located in Downtown Disney. We were able to grab tickets on pre-sale last year before they sold out, and this morning, after months of waiting, was our turn to don the suits, helmets, and blasters and recover the Imperial intelligence.

Under the orders of the budding rebellion, your team will travel to the molten planet of Mustafar. Your mission is to recover Imperial intelligence vital to the rebellion’s survival. Alongside the pragmatic droid K-2S0, your team must navigate through an enemy facility walking into danger at every turn. Disguised as stormtroopers, grab your blaster, solve puzzles, and fight giant lava monsters in an effort to fulfill your team's orders.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/17/star-wars-secrets-empire-vr-review/feed0What Happens When You Let Friends Drive Your Powered Cart in ECO Gamehttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/16/happens-let-friends-drive-powered-cart-eco-game
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/16/happens-let-friends-drive-powered-cart-eco-game#commentsFri, 16 Feb 2018 22:37:21 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18572We’re having so much fun playing ECO (if you can’t tell from all of our posts about the game lately). We’re reaching that points where we’re starting to have more fun and freedom in the game. We’ve progressed beyond simple stone and logs into an era where we can start to build bridges, pour asphalt, […]

]]>We’re having so much fun playing ECO (if you can’t tell from all of our posts about the game lately). We’re reaching that points where we’re starting to have more fun and freedom in the game. We’ve progressed beyond simple stone and logs into an era where we can start to build bridges, pour asphalt, and drive powered carts around like something cool out of the 1800’s.

During one of our beautification projects, I let Yotor take a spin in the Keenmobile.

Well, as you can see from the image above, this is why you don’t let just anyone take your powered cart out for a spin.

We ended up having to dig it out, and I tried to pry it up with a shovel when suddenly the whole cart freaked out and launched itself into orbit traveling mach speed. My leg must have gotten stuck in the wheels because I was flailing about until the thing circled the planet three times then crashed in my backyard. I was thrown free of the cart and landed on the roof of a nearby building.

The whole ordeal was hilarious to the point of tears, and a lesson learned… build rails. Lots of rails.

I’d say within a day or two we’ll start to push into electronics and industry. That’ll put us making street lights and running electricity to our homes for 24/7 lighting! Wooho!

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/16/happens-let-friends-drive-powered-cart-eco-game/feed3ECO Server Log: Enter the Mechanical & Industrial Agehttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/15/eco-server-log-enter-mechanical-industrial-age
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/15/eco-server-log-enter-mechanical-industrial-age#commentsThu, 15 Feb 2018 17:02:19 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18569Quick update for February 15th since it’s my birthday today and I’ll be spending most of it offline. Our ECO server is really humming along! The age of mechanics is in full swing, and we’ve just begun to see the tip of the industrial era iceberg peaking up over the horizon. I find myself in […]

]]>Quick update for February 15th since it’s my birthday today and I’ll be spending most of it offline.

Our ECO server is really humming along! The age of mechanics is in full swing, and we’ve just begun to see the tip of the industrial era iceberg peaking up over the horizon.

I find myself in a raw materials meets machine-creation position. I’m building most of the advanced machines and refining most of the modern or quasi modern materials that will be used in future building.

Our server’s next step will be to step into a full industrial revolution mixed with some electronic developments. Electricity is coming to our world!

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/15/eco-server-log-enter-mechanical-industrial-age/feed4Sea of Thieves Microtransactionshttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/14/sea-thieves-microtransactions
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/14/sea-thieves-microtransactions#commentsWed, 14 Feb 2018 16:41:31 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18563News of microtransactions in Sea of Thieves has been making its way around the internet over the past 24 hours. Here's what we know:Early focus post-launch is on a great gameplay experienceFirst major patch will deliver the optional ability to spend moneyPurchases will be cosmetic onlyCurrency will be acquirable through in-game playThere will never be […]

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/14/sea-thieves-microtransactions/feed3ECO Server Log: Almost Poweredhttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/13/eco-server-log-almost-powered
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/13/eco-server-log-almost-powered#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 04:11:15 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18555I'm starting to lose track of the days in ECO. The meteor in the sky is getting bigger, but we're all immersed in the process of growing our civilization.Each day we seem to have new faces joining us on the Keen and Graev Community server. While we have about 10 people playing, there's always room […]

I'm starting to lose track of the days in ECO. The meteor in the sky is getting bigger, but we're all immersed in the process of growing our civilization.

Each day we seem to have new faces joining us on the Keen and Graev Community server. While we have about 10 people playing, there's always room for more to jump in.

Since I'm no longer measuring our server log in days (at least until we get closer to the 30 day mark), I'm definitely measuring progress by major milestones.

Yesterday I build my first combustion engine, and with that a combustion generator. While a very exciting accomplishment, I found myself with no application. An engine to move what? A generator to power what? So today I spent my skill points on building a powered cart.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/13/eco-server-log-almost-powered/feed0Camelot Unchained Beta Dates & Morehttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/12/camelot-unchained-beta-dates
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/12/camelot-unchained-beta-dates#commentsTue, 13 Feb 2018 06:36:44 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18552Today the Camelot Unchained beta announcement dropped, and you guys were quick to send me emails and notifications — thanks for that! First, the date. Camelot Unchained beta will be July 4th-ish. I’m adding the “ish” because throughout the video announcement they were pretty clear to point out several times that this date was the […]

]]>Today the Camelot Unchained beta announcement dropped, and you guys were quick to send me emails and notifications — thanks for that!

First, the date. Camelot Unchained beta will be July 4th-ish. I’m adding the “ish” because throughout the video announcement they were pretty clear to point out several times that this date was the date they want to hit, but then qualify it with caveats.

Whatever the real date ends up being — whether it’s July 4th or July 24th, etc. — it’s simply a statement of “Summer” to me. They plan to hit the Beta phase around mid year. That’s a decent place to be in for an early or perhaps mid 2019 release.

The dates weren’t even the part of the conversation that mattered most to me. I was reassured by the affirmation and commitment to keeping the game about open-world gameplay, and not succumbing to the temptation of the cop-out scenario gameplay. Scenarios were the absolute bane of Mark Jacob’s past game, as well as just about any game purporting to be about open-world RvR. Scenarios can not co-exist with a open-world RvR game and not do irreparable harm.

I’m still very, very interested in how this whole game will come together into a cohesive experience. Between the cities and the kings and the Depths, and all these components… it’ll be truly interesting to see how these alpha and beta experiences transition into being a finished product.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/12/camelot-unchained-beta-dates/feed12What Did You Play This Weekend?https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/11/whatd-you-play-this-weekend
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/11/whatd-you-play-this-weekend#commentsMon, 12 Feb 2018 06:18:16 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18549As the weekend comes to a close here at the — almost literal — 11th hour, I’m curious to hear about the games YOU played. I think my time was quite obviously spent in ECO, which is an immersive and realistic sandbox building/surviving game. The Keen and Graev Community has our very own server that […]

]]>As the weekend comes to a close here at the — almost literal — 11th hour, I’m curious to hear about the games YOU played. I think my time was quite obviously spent in ECO, which is an immersive and realistic sandbox building/surviving game. The Keen and Graev Community has our very own server that we actively play on and maintain, which has been the crucial component of how much fun I’ve been having.

While ECO can absolutely be played solo (crank up those skill gain modifiers, though), the true experience is felt when you play with friends and others. On servers where you don’t know or trust others, you might want to build a contract board and set up a shop to sell your goods. On servers like ours where we’re all just playing to have fun and enjoy the game, we’ve taken on a communal (we jokingly call it socialism) approach. Each experience — solo, random people, and friends — provide a unique play-through.

On our server, the meteor will hit in 25 days. Does that mean if we live or die that we’re done? Far from it. Our server will likely live on for a short period of time after those 30 days are up, and then transition into something featuring mods and more expanded types of gameplay.

In other news, I’m continuing my Monster Hunter World playthrough with Graev. On Saturday we clocked 4 hours, which is still a huge investment for me to make and not to be taken lightly. I’m still very much enjoying the game and the Lance weapon. We’re in high-rank gameplay now and working our way toward optimizing armor (or even obtaining pieces we want) while having fun hunting.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/11/whatd-you-play-this-weekend/feed15ECO Server Log: Day 4 – The Smoke Riseshttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/10/eco-server-log-day-4-smoke-rises
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/10/eco-server-log-day-4-smoke-rises#commentsSat, 10 Feb 2018 22:31:37 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18537What a blast ECO has been these past four days. Literally.Today I made a blast furnace which means we can now smelt ores without tillings. Tillings are the waste product of smelting using a blowery, which we have now passed a law to ban.Using a blast furnace, the only byproduct we have to worry about […]

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/10/eco-server-log-day-4-smoke-rises/feed1ECO Server Log: Day 3https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/09/eco-server-log-day-3
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/09/eco-server-log-day-3#commentsSat, 10 Feb 2018 05:57:22 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18531Time flies ridiculously fast when playing ECO. That's not necessarily a good thing, though, given the massive meteor planning to crash into the planet in 27 days.Our Keen and Graev Community server is doing pretty well, I think! In this server journal entry I want to highlight a few of the events and happenings as […]

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/09/eco-server-log-day-3/feed3Dragon Quest Builders on Switch Tomorrowhttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/08/dragon-quest-builders-switch-tomorrow
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/08/dragon-quest-builders-switch-tomorrow#commentsFri, 09 Feb 2018 05:04:39 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18528If you own a Switch and want to take my word on another great builder game, I highly recommend you check out Dragon Quest Builders. DQB comes out on Switch tomorrow and it’ll be $40 which is cheaper than the $60 it was on PS4 (yet still worth it then too). Although it has no […]

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/08/dragon-quest-builders-switch-tomorrow/feed2ECO Server Log: Day 1https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/07/eco-server-log-day-1
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/07/eco-server-log-day-1#commentsWed, 07 Feb 2018 21:20:21 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18514The Keen and Graev Community ECO server is live! We’ve been up for almost exactly 24 hours now, and already we’re feeling the enormous pressure upon us to save the world.I’m going to do these server logs every couple of days to give you guys an idea of what’s happening in our world, how the […]

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/07/eco-server-log-day-1/feed2ECO: Gloriously Complicated Ecosystem Gameplayhttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/06/eco-gloriously-complicated-ecosystem-gameplay
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/06/eco-gloriously-complicated-ecosystem-gameplay#commentsWed, 07 Feb 2018 05:43:10 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18511ECO launched today into early access on Steam! My hopes were high and my expectations of what I’d actually get were low. A clunky game would have made sense given the premise of this being an early access game aimed at an educational market. But guess what? It’s actually really polished. I was also expecting […]

]]>ECO launched today into early access on Steam! My hopes were high and my expectations of what I’d actually get were low. A clunky game would have made sense given the premise of this being an early access game aimed at an educational market.

But guess what? It’s actually really polished.

I was also expecting a moderately complex game like Minecraft with a few more factors like pollution and animals. Nope, it’s like 100x more than even that. There’s so much to this game that you can practically map out the migratory patterns of a species and measure the growth of green beans on your plant.

Upon first logging in and being exposed to everything there is to do in the game, it was initially overwhelming. You’re basically dropped on a planet with a backpack and some tools and told that in 30 REAL days a meteor will strike the planet and wipe you all out. What do you do?

You pick some blueberries to keep your calories up (yep, there are calories you must maintain) and you get to work. Oh, and you have to balance your diet with carbs, proteins, vitamins, etc.

If you’re looking for an engrossing sandbox world with the ability to completely destroy a plent’s ecosystem, this game is for you. Although part of me wants to develop towards automation and tractors, I couldn’t help but suddenly feel like Hexxus from Ferngully as I chopped down trees to build a log cabin. All of my thoughts are now narrated by Tim Curry.

What a whirlwind of toxic love!

I’m happy to say that I’ll be playing a lot of ECO in the coming days.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/06/eco-gloriously-complicated-ecosystem-gameplay/feed4Blizzard Doesn’t Want to Manage Two MMOshttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/05/blizzard-doesnt-want-manage-two-mmos
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/05/blizzard-doesnt-want-manage-two-mmos#commentsMon, 05 Feb 2018 17:34:06 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18501Blizzard Executive Producer J. Allen Brack and Senior Game Designer Jeremy Feasel were interviewed by Forbes and during the interview they were asked several questions about the complexities and decisions involved with bringing back a Classic World of Warcraft experience.One of the questions brought about an interesting answer. […]

Blizzard Executive Producer J. Allen Brack and Senior Game Designer Jeremy Feasel were interviewed by Forbes and during the interview they were asked several questions about the complexities and decisions involved with bringing back a Classic World of Warcraft experience.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/05/blizzard-doesnt-want-manage-two-mmos/feed3What Did You Play This Weekend?https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/04/what-did-you-play-this-weekend
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/04/what-did-you-play-this-weekend#commentsMon, 05 Feb 2018 02:47:11 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18499Before we get to what we played this weekend, let’s remember there are some cool games coming out this week: ECO and Dragon Quest Builders (Switch). I’m glad to have more distractions. My time this weekend, specifically Friday through Sunday, was spent playing: Monster Hunter World – By far the most time. Dropped like 5 […]

]]>Before we get to what we played this weekend, let’s remember there are some cool games coming out this week: ECO and Dragon Quest Builders (Switch). I’m glad to have more distractions.

My time this weekend, specifically Friday through Sunday, was spent playing:

Monster Hunter World – By far the most time. Dropped like 5 hours on Saturday without breaking a sweat.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – My wife and I are playing through the games in order and we’re making great progress! Next up we’ll have to figure out how to play AC3 since it doesn’t have a PS4 remaster, and I hate playing on the PS3 if I can avoid it.

Subnautica – I’m making my way to the end! I really wish I could attach torpedos to my Cyclops and blow those Leviathan all to kingdom come. Unfortunately, there’s this weird “no weapons” mantra from the devs.

Skyrim on Switch – Loving it. Chipping away at the game a few quests at a time.

I know some of my friends have been playing oldies like Baldur’s Gate 2 and FF11 (Nasomi). Others dabbled once again in WoW after the allied races happened.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/04/what-did-you-play-this-weekend/feed16Monster Hunter World is Now Addictinghttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/03/monster-hunter-world-now-addicting
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/03/monster-hunter-world-now-addicting#commentsSun, 04 Feb 2018 03:07:53 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18496I’ve come full circle in Monster Hunter. At first it was so confusing it wasn’t fun. Then it was fun but I couldn’t find a weapon. Then I found a weapon, liked it, then hated it. I’m finally playing with a weapon I absolutely love, fighting bosses successfully without dying at all, and making some […]

]]>I’ve come full circle in Monster Hunter. At first it was so confusing it wasn’t fun. Then it was fun but I couldn’t find a weapon. Then I found a weapon, liked it, then hated it. I’m finally playing with a weapon I absolutely love, fighting bosses successfully without dying at all, and making some major progress in the game.

I’m using the Lance. It’s an awesome weapon because it provides me the perfect balance of defense and offense. No, it won’t come close to the damage of some weapons, but I can always stand on top of the monster and never have to retreat. Learning the monster’s moves, I can simply guard myself into invulnerability. Counter attacks and charging make for a fun meta. I also love mounting after a charge, and find it easier than any other form of mounting.

Most things are starting to make a lot of sense to me. I’ve figured out the weapon crafting. You basically want one of every element and status effect type, and you want to upgrade those as much as you can. Armor is there I’m still really, really confused. Do I bother spending my materials in low tier? Do they carry over to high tier? The gear really doesn’t offer much for me yet because I know that high tier (which I’m just about to be in low high tier) starts to give some serious skills and benefits.

I’m cultivating, trading, sending my palico army out to get stuff, and completing lots of hunts.

I’m easily putting in 2-3 hours a day into MHW. It’s addicting now. Very glad I stuck with it.

]]>https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/03/monster-hunter-world-now-addicting/feed1Mario Kart is Nintendo’s Next Mobile Movehttps://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/02/mario-kart-nintendos-next-mobile-move
https://www.keenandgraev.com/2018/02/02/mario-kart-nintendos-next-mobile-move#commentsSat, 03 Feb 2018 05:48:15 +0000https://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=18491I think mobile gaming continues to have a strong future as a defined space which is why I’m always interested in seeing who is going to make the next coolest advancement in the mobile gaming space. If anyone has the ability to come out of left field, it’s Nintendo. This next idea isn’t really weird, […]

]]>I think mobile gaming continues to have a strong future as a defined space which is why I’m always interested in seeing who is going to make the next coolest advancement in the mobile gaming space.

If anyone has the ability to come out of left field, it’s Nintendo.

This next idea isn’t really weird, but perhaps it’s a neat and logical step for the company’s mobile offering. Mark Kart is coming to smartphones. What a perfect idea.

Details of the game are still completely unknown.

Will it use swipe? Tilt? Simulated joystick? I know my personal preference would be tilt controls — maybe joystick.

There’s always the idea of forward motion and whether it’ll be a permanent forward motion system or a be controlled by holding a virtual onscreen button.

What I hope to see is a great multiplayer setup with 8-12 people racing together in something that closely mirrors the Mario Kart model.

Nintendo needs to get this one right. Miitomo was crap, Animal Crossing fizzled out due to the scope being too narrow. Fire Emblem wasn’t my cup of tea, but had modest success. Still not a breakout hit.

Though I don’t fear for them as a company or anything, I do fear for people’s willingness to continue to entertain them continually dipping their toe in the mobile waters. I want to see them jump in head first with all the enthusiam, resources, and support they would throw at a 3DS or Switch title.

Personally, a rock solid Mario Kart title would restore a lot of my hopes and dreams for what they’ll pull off if and when that rumored Zelda title for smartphones ever happens.